


the mouse ensnared by the cheese.

by bobariri (xisanamii)



Category: Noblesse (Manhwa)
Genre: AKA my headcanon because lmao yall know what canon did, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, And planning on writing higher to the Invasion arcs, Basically my OC is in a lot of the scenes and I'm twisting canon's arm, But I've written up to the content of chapter 300, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Family Leader OC, Gen, I Made My Own Clan, I Made Urokai and Zarga Live For Plot Purposes, Idk if I'll get as far as changing the [redacted] ending, Liberal interpretation of the Third Elder, More Characters TBT, Noblesse Fix-It, One-Sided OC/Raskreia, Other Implied Side Pairings - I'll tag in A/N, Stream of Consciousness-esque style of writing, this fic is extremely self-indulgent
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-25
Updated: 2020-08-20
Packaged: 2021-03-06 02:02:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 11,949
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25505620
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/xisanamii/pseuds/bobariri
Summary: in which the cowardly family leader of lukedonia ventures out of her mouse hole to carry out her duties. (eventual third elder/oc).
Relationships: Third Elder (Noblesse)/Original Character
Kudos: 3





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> i never really know whether to ramble in the tags or ramble here but uhhhhh --
> 
> so this really has no real direction or plot, i mean i /think/ it has a plot but it doesn't connect well in theory and only in my mind LMAO honestly this is super self-indulgent. i wanted to write more stuff with my oc, so it originally turned out as her fangirling for raskreia and... as you see from the relationship tag, it's gonna somehow end up as third elder/oc. because i like third elder.
> 
> also if you know me at all there's going to be either side or implied raskreia/razark shit here because otp. although i am a multishipper and uh i like to dote on raskreia, and i also like the idea of my oc with raskreia so that might be a thing on its own. i'll give third elder some luv
> 
> also changing up noble event details because i've always had an issue with how raizel did things in canon and how little role the author gave raskreia, really, so here's me putting the bird up to canon and saying fk it, my wife gets to star more and make important decisions too. i'm aiming for at least two chapters, if i get lucky i could get up to three or four.
> 
> did i mention this was self-indulgent? don't say i didn't warn you.
> 
> i drew a thing of my oc down there to help yall gain the visual, although you may have seen my doodles thrown around on my main blog. somewhere. im tired i'd draw more butsfdnfdsfkguikbjhds

There’s a word to be used to describe someone like her. Traitor? No, she’s heard those accusations many times - she knows of her precarious position inside Lukedonia and has made sure her actions otherwise did not implicate her further. Human-loving? Ironically, those traitors were the ones to call her Clan by the ‘insult’, though no one would ever take them seriously.

Her crimson hues glow with appreciation as Raskreia turns her back and disappears from the throne room.

_ Ahhh, my Lord, looking beautiful as always! _

… Masochist. Perhaps that’s the best word for it.

“Did you hear what the Lord just said?” Razark asks slowly.

Saki straightens, blinking out of her stupor. “She finally confessed that she really appreciates us?”

Razark sighs. “No.”

“Well, your guess is as good as mine.”

The Kertia clan leader exhales, sounding exasperated. “I received the Lord’s order, so it would not be a guess.” Really now, they were about the same age, her few centuries of age above him should not be providing this kind of disparity, but how is it that this clan leader could still act like this? Then again, he supposes Karias is not too far a stretch from sharing this kind of disposition.

Saki seems to shrink back, which confirms Razark’s judgment that despite sharing a certain kind of eccentricity, at least she has maintained her timorous nature. To an extent.

“You’re coming with me to the human world. The Lord would like you to continue your clan’s duties with the Noblesse and the Union.”

Her mouth drops open. “Oh. I completely missed that part of the order.”

“Clearly.”

Saki ignores his pointed statements, staring at the doors of the throne room with newfound inspiration. “I said thank you to her, right?”

“You did,” he affirms. “Which is why I thought you had been listening.”

She laughs nervously. “Sorry, I just get really nervous around her. She’s so pretty.”

Clearing his throat, he grabs her cheek and pulls on it stoically.

“We are going to be late. Let us go.”

“Owowowowow-! You don’t have to pull so hard!”

The fact that she could be allowed this kind of interaction is really telling of how far she's come, right? But no, all of this can only be attributed to the Noblesse's appearance. Had he not dispelled the uncertainty and doubts regarding the traitors, Saki wonders if she'd ever be able to move past the cloud of suspicion that everyone had regarded her with. 

By that logic, she should be supportive of him. And she  _ does _ , she finds his beauty unparalleled to everyone except the Lord _\--_

_**\--**_ But seeing him now, she could not allow that to smother her resolve. Her entire body trembles but she maintains eye contact, as Raizel stares down at her with blood streaking from his eyes.

"Saki," he says, and she notes the tired edge to his voice. "I will not harm you. But if you do not move, I will forcefully move you."

"Noblesse-nim," she replies shakily. "Please reconsider this. Urokai and Zarga have surrendered, you don't need to send them to eternal sleep!"

Behind her, on their knees are the traitors her Lord despises. She shouldn't be advocating for them. She knows that this current act may as well be seen as treason to the nobles. However, Seira and Razark have not made their move and Raizel has not disposed of her.

Doesn't this mean they understand her intentions?

"I know they've committed atrocities against humans," she continues speaking. "But executing them doesn't make up for the lives they took! Isn't it better to force them to continue living and to serve the humans to the best of their ability?"

Raizel stubbornly remains standing, his eyes narrowed. Saki lowers her head, though she had already prostrated herself in an effort to show her urgency.

"Lord ordered me to ensure you don't use any more of your lifespan. Not only am I fulfilling her wishes, but I know you also don't want this to happen. Right?"

He sighs. "It is not a matter of what I desire, Saki. This is my duty."

"The matter of dealing with traitors has always been the Lord's duty, for the past five hundred years," she replies, hand pressed to the center of her chest. "Noblesse, you were only awake for a month. Has the Lord not been responsible for Lukedonian affairs? I believe the decision of the traitors should be left to her hands, her blade. They betrayed us all, but…" She hesitates. "Forgive me for sounding obstinate, but you were not there when they turned on the Lord. If any has the right to impose judgment, it is her. By precedent, Gejutel-nim and Seira can be examples of this. Though you halted the judgment, once it was thought they were traitors, only the Lord could decide their fate.”

_ I’m soooooo dead _ , she thinks to herself. Behind her, Urokai starts laughing, though she can hear that it’s void of any amusement.

“Have I really fallen so much,” he manages to get out. “That the weakest clan has to defend me?”

Zarga lets a breathless sigh. “Perhaps this is the price we pay.”

She can’t help but scowl, rising from her kneeling and turning around to face them. “You’re the half-dead traitors on the floor!”

“You’re soft,” Urokai spits out. “Just like your mother. Your clan always was the useless one. Bunch of pacifists sucking up to the outsiders.” His insult lacks any real bite - she watches him deflate and hang his head. “So why are you defending us?”

If she voices her real reason aloud, she’d surely be made fun of. For a simple reason as the fact that she’d be sad if they died - it feels strange. They’re the reason she suffered so much in Lukedonia. Once the traitors carried out their plan, she’d made the difficult decision to abandon the humans in Japan to return to Lukedonia’s side, only to be regarded as a traitor despite the fact no one ever called her that outright.

Nothing she could say could make the situation better, but she’s also motivated by spite - how dare they easily choose death when she had stayed alive just to suffer? She elects to ignore the question, turning back to the Noblesse.

He looks despondent, but the faintest of smiles has graced his lips. A shudder runs through her body.

“Your will is admirable,” Raizel murmurs. “But you are also wrong. I have the authority as the Noblesse. Young family leader, you may not truly understand my role, and I do not fault you for this.”

He’s stepping towards her and she screams inside her head, wondering if all her efforts to survive has been for naught.

A bloody hand ruffles the top of her head. “You make a fine family leader.”

She wants to cry - no, she  _ does  _ cry. But she flails her arms around wildly and takes a step back.

“Thank you so much, Noblesse-nim!” She sobs out. “But you’re still going to execute them, right?”

“Look, Saki-” Now Frankenstein has decided to speak up. Saki muffles a screech and watches him approach. His usual evil smirk is replaced with something akin to annoyance, though she can’t identify the other gleam. “These bastards were most likely responsible for my master’s disappearance. I’m not going to allow them to live, even if my master decides to spare them.” He pauses. “But… you are right in that the Lord should deal with them, rather than my master using up his lifespan.” He clenches his hand into a fist, as if he could summon Dark Spear and be done with this entire situation. “I’d do it myself, but Master has ordered me not to.”

_ When has that ever stopped you from doing anything _ , the nobles echo in their minds.

“Furthermore, the Union has declared war on Lukedonia.” Frankenstein gives a pointed stare to Lunark, who stiffens but manages to keep her head up. “We are not at the point where we should be sparing the lives of traitors.”

_ So whose side are you on! _

“And another thing.”

Now Frankenstein is smiling, but Saki feels even less reassured as he reaches down and grabs her cheek, effectively pulling it. She wisely doesn’t protest, despite the fact that she wishes her cheeks weren’t the main target of their irritation.

“Wasn’t your clan responsible for overseeing human activities, especially among the Union? How did it get to the point where we had traitors in the Union and have only learned about it recently?”

“You didn’t know about it, but Lukedonia did,” she whines, a weak effort to defend herself.

“Frankenstein.”

The modified human releases her cheek immediately at Raizel’s exasperated command.

“She has done her best,” Raizel says.

“Everything that we’ve learned about the modified humans and Union is due to her clan’s efforts,” Razark points out, from his place a few feet behind. “Though her conduct as a family leader does require... improvement, given the nature of her Clan’s purpose, she has not done a terrible job. Which is why, Noblesse, I also ask that you reconsider using your lifespan to execute the traitors.”

Saki watches with wide eyes as Razark comes over, bowing to the Noblesse as well.

“This is the reason both of us have come here from Lukedonia,” he explains. “Lord ordered us to assist you in any way possible. Though it goes against our noble customs to defy the Noblesse, our first loyalty is to the Lord.”

_ You really do care about me _ !  _ Aww, Razark- _

Razark sighs through their mind link.

_ You said it in telepathy. _

_ Oh. Oops. _

Raizel remains unconvinced, until the voice of the Lord breaks the tense silence.

Through a communicator that Seira has brought, of course. The Loyard family leader silently walks up, adjusting the knob so that the Lord’s voice can be heard clearly.

**_“Cadis Etrama di Raizel.”_ **

“Raskreia. You already know what I must do.”

The Lord sighs.  **_“This affair is not only yours to judge. I also have the right as the Lord, do I not?”_ **

He pauses. “You do.”

Sak straightens, wisely not interfering with the conversation, but giving the Noblesse a skeptical glance.

“But you are not here.”

**_“I will have Akanishi Saki bring me the traitors.”_ **

“Huh?”

Saki slaps her hand over her mouth; Razark’s hand follows swiftly after. Frankenstein stifles a snicker as Raizel glances over to her.

“Her alone is not enough.”

**_“If they truly have surrendered, then they will not cause issues.”_ **

A glance towards the aforementioned traitors. They did look defeated, with Urokai managing a scowl when the attention was brought back on him.

**_“Also, Saki.”_ **

“Yes, Lord!”

**_“You will use that ‘thing’.”_ **

Saki’s mouth opens. “Are you sure?”

**_“Yes. It is time.”_ **

All eyes turn to her as she’s suddenly revitalized, giving a salute to the radio. “Ay, ma’am! Kozuchi, it’s our time to shine!”

She summons her soul weapon, with all the grandeur as one would expect of a noble. Lunark watches with vested interest, but muffles a laugh when the object that manifests in her hands is a ridiculously bright golden hammer. It holds none of the lethality of a normal soul weapon - even she, as a werewolf, can tell.

Zarga sighs heavily and Urokai rolls his visible eye. Some things never change, even if the handler is different.

Though perhaps this is different. The Akanishi family leaders have never used their hammer violently - it’s not meant for that. But for some reason, Saki is approaching the two kneeling traitors with a dangerous gleam in her eye and raising the hammer.

Urokai braces himself as Zarga accepts his defeat. They’re both tapped lightly with the hammer once, on the crown of their heads. A golden light envelopes their bodies and suddenly -

They feel heavy. With a grunt, they fall to the ground completely, faces planting into the concrete.

“Ta-dah~” Saki hums. “It’s my special sealing power! I gotta say, it took a lot of work to refine this, but I’m proud of my little test run! At least they’re in one piece.”

Frankenstein’s earlier bemused expression has changed immensely. There’s a vested interest in his eye as Raizel steps forward.

“Their blood…”

“Well, it’s not a permanent effect,” she admits. “But with Kozuchi, I can seal their power for a while. If their will is stronger than mine, they can definitely break it! Ahahahahaha~”

“Is that really something you should be saying aloud?” Urokai mutters, managing to lift his face.

Saki hums, tapping her hammer against her shoulder. “Well, the fact that you two haven’t broken it means you’re really feeling like giving up.” She turns to Raizel slowly, lowering her body into a bow again. “Noblesse-nim.”

Raizel sighs. “Since Raskreia as Lord has requested it, I will stand down for now.”

She feels a heavy weight lifting from her shoulders. “Yes! I’ll do my best to transport the traitors without any harm coming to the humans!”

He smiles wistfully. She coughs and bids her farewell.

* * *

A week and then some days have passed since that incident, and Saki finds herself back in South Korea with the Lord and Gejutel - she’s been on cloud nine the entire time, pleased that she gets a little bit of alone time with the Lord. Although Gejutel had been with them on the trip back, she’s perfectly fine with watching the back of their Lord.

Erga Kenesis di Raskreia has always been someone unattainable, Saki knows this. But she’s admired the Lord for so long, knowing that despite her cold exterior, she made decisions due to her good heart - even if she hides it. Even her hatred back then, before the Noblesse awakened, did not deter Saki from seeking her approval.

Therefore, to be rejected to return to Lukedonia after restoring the Noblesse’s lifespan - she did not expect this.

“Eh? You want me to stay in the human world?” Saki points to herself. “But I’m not strong at all! Lord, please let me go back with you!”

“Are you defying the Lord’s orders?” Gejutel asks, bemused. Saki bites her tongue, cheeks flushing red as she looks away.

“I could never!” She retorts. “I just - I wanted-”

“I am relying on you,” Raskreia speaks, cutting off any protest that was rising in Saki’s mouth. Though the Lord’s expression remains impassive as always, she’s staring Saki directly in the eyes, and the clan leader can barely maintain eye contact. “Though you may not excel in battle, you are my diplomat. A fight with the Union is inevitable, but your abilities will be more useful here than Lukedonia.”

Saki pouts but doesn’t fight back any further. “Yes, Lord, I have received your order.”

Dejected after the Lord has left, Seira attempts to comfort her fellow clan leader wordlessly by offering cookies. Rael obviously has some quip to say about that, so Saki purposefully clings to Seira into a hug.

“Ahh, Seira, you really would make such a good wife! I wish you could make me sweets every day,” she laments, internally sticking her tongue out at Rael. 

Seira’s blushing, which appalls Rael even further, almost being sent on another rage had the Noblesse not appeared in the living room just now.

“Saki.”

She lets go of Seira and straightens. “Yes!”

“Urokai Agvain and Zarga Siriana….”

The Noblesse certainly is a man of few words, but Saki understands his intentions despite only speaking their names. Saki gets on one knee.

“Reporting to the Noblesse, the two traitors have been in confinement, with Ludis Mergas watching over their cells. My clan is also working on a tool to refine the seals on their abilities so that we can make use of the two should we ever need their help in fighting the Union.”

Raizel looks perturbed. Though he does not speak further, only nods and sits down on the couch, settling for eating his cookies and drinking tea.

“Um…” Not having quite been dismissed yet, Saki looks hesitant towards him. “Can I… Can I leave? I’d like to explore this city, since I will be staying here a while. I plan to meet one of my family members here too, they will be serving as more of my eyes as we prepare to defend against the Union. I will also see if I can get any information about Muzaka-nim.”

Raizel blinks and merely nods, a flash of gratefulness in his eyes. Saki thanks him and stands up, waving at Seira and sticking her tongue out at Rael for real. He scowls and looks away.

When she’s out, she changes her Lukedonian attire to something that a normal human of this era would wear. It feels different - the last time she’s worn a human’s clothing is many centuries ago, and that had been a different country. She’s sure that wearing such a flashy attire would get unwanted attention, and for now all she wants to do is explore.

Although she laments not being at Raskreia’s side, she supposes this is just a trait of the clan - this fondness for the humans and the way they live. She inhales, taking in that -

\--  **_Disgusting_ ** city smog and chokes. 

“I miss times when it was before this city stuff appeared,” she sighs. “Nature… where’s a good park to walk through?”

She spends the better half of her way exploring, though near the end she finds herself in a line for a very cute sweets cafe. Though Saki has not had the chance to immerse herself into human culture of this age, she’s very excited to have this be her first experience.

Well, she  _ had  _ been. Then she sees the Third Elder sitting at one of the tables and she snorts the milkshake up her nose.

Hostility rises in her immediately.  _ Though you have a pretty face, you’re a modified human of the Union!  _ Her power rises subtly, letting him know that she’s there. He turns, looking nonplussed for a few seconds. Then he shrugs and -

_ Oh Lord, he’s coming over. _ Saki bristles as he seats himself at her table.

“Perfect timing, this cafe was starting to ask if customers could share tables if they came alone.”

“What are you doing here?” She hisses, gripping her fork tightly and looking around to see if she had accidentally walked into a hub of Union members instead.

_ No, these are all normal humans. He’s the only modified one here. _

“Eating cake,” he states matter-of-factly. “I rarely travel outside, so I need to replenish my energy somehow. Look, I’m not dressed in Union attire. While I wouldn’t mind getting rid of you right now, I’m alone and I don’t feel like dredging up a fight I don’t know I’d win. Are you going to eat that cake or are you going to leave?”

Saki growls and swipes her plate out of his reach. “My cake!”

He laughs. “A powerful noble fighting over cake? Now I’ve seen it all.” He pauses. “Actually, no I haven’t. That Blerster family leader was still pretty interesting.”

“Third Elder,” Saki grits out, keeping her voice at a frequency only he could hear. “Are you sure you should be doing this? As far as I’m concerned, the Union has foregone the treaty that my clan has created between the races.”

She should get rid of him, but-

“You won’t fight me, Saki.”

She sits down, looking away. “You don’t know me.”

And it’s true. They weren’t well acquainted. She’s only spoken with him over letter correspondence in order to update the treaty with her Lord, but that had been decades ago. The fact that he could use her name so casually irritates her. For that matter, it could have been a different Third Elder too. 

“True,” he agrees. “But I do know how nobles work. You wouldn’t risk it anyway.” He sighs, sinking his teeth further into the cookie. “Frankly, I’m not bothered to fight right now. This shop really has good sweets, it’d be a shame to destroy it.”

“Third-”

“If you keep calling me that, we’re definitely going to get weird stares,” he warns. 

Saki rolls her eyes. “Then what am I supposed to call you?”

He hums. “Hmm, well, I haven’t used this name in a while, but Amun would be good.”

She blinks. “Amun…?”

“It was my human name,” he shrugs. “Frankly, I’m not the Third Elder right now anyway. Yeah, you can call me Amun.”

Saki gets up. “I’m leaving.”

“Suit yourself.”

She says that, but after she exits the shop, she puts herself in the shadows and watches over the entrance. Though she doesn’t have the Kertia clan’s stealth abilities, she can mask her presence enough to ensure he wouldn’t spot her right away.

There has to be a reason he’s in the city - there’s no other explanation for a Union elder to be out in the open like this, not when the Union has prided itself on its secrecy. 

_ Don’t worry, my Lord! Although my eyes are sometimes clouded by beauty, I will protect this city with my life! _

Minutes turned into hours. He only exits the cafe once it closes, which is well into night. She’s glaring at him but tries her best to mute her animosity.

The streets are only filled with a few humans now. She follows him silently, attempting to ascertain his next movements, when he turns and sighs.

“Alright, miss clan leader, you can come out now.”

She curses herself, crossing her arms across her chest and doing her best to look imposing as she steps out into the light. It’s a fruitless attempt, she’s not as tall as the other nobles and she definitely doesn’t have the graceful promise of death that Seira airs out when facing enemies. Rozaria is intimidating even without having to summon a weapon. Lost in her indecision to see if she could channel someone scarier, she fails to notice him approaching her.

“Here.”

He holds out a pink container box, which suspiciously matches the theme of the cafe she had met him at earlier. 

“You were waiting outside for a while.”

“Poison doesn’t work on nobles,” she blurts out. The Third Elder - well, she can’t see his face clearly due to those messy bangs covering it, but she can swear he looks amused.

“If I wanted to fight you, I’d do it now. There’s not a lot of humans around.”

She gets into a fighting stance immediately. “Then you-”

“But like I said, I don’t know if I’ll win.” He steps forward and she steps back, trying her best to not let her fear overtake her. “Also, I do owe it to you and your clan. It would’ve been nice if Lukedonia worked together with the Union, but I realize that our goals do not align now. Still, it’d be discourteous of me if I ignored everything you’ve done for us humans.” 

Saki huffs, turning away. “You’re making it sound like my clan and I helped you personally. Which is not. What. Happened.” With every point, she enunciates clearly and makes a show of sticking her nose up. “Everything the Akanishi clan has done is for the sake of unity. But you, the Union - you were the first ones to break that truce. The Union has broken the unity, how ironic.” She pauses. “And another thing! The nobles are not-”

“Yes yes,” he sighs tiredly, pressing the cake box to her mouth and effectively trapping her words behind it. “I’m hitting the end of my sugar rush, I don’t want to listen to a lecture. Do what you want with the cake, I’m leaving now.”

She follows after, but he soon disappears without a trace. Saki hangs her head in dismay, lamenting her uselessness.

_ Urokai was right _ , she thinks.  _ Pacifists are worthless in this kind of world. _ Her fingers curl into her palm.  _ My Lord, why did you leave me here when I cannot fight?  _ She holds up the cake box, grunting and decides to hand it off to a random passerby (after affirming there’s indeed no poison).

* * *

_ Hmm, as I thought, Seira’s cakes are the best, _ Saki thinks to herself, starting her fifth slice as she nibbles silently throughout the chatter of the house. Apparently, it isn’t often that Seira bakes, so she’s grateful she can revel in the rare opportunity while it lasts. The human children the Noblesse brings home with him are also very interesting to listen to. Complaining about school or chattering about every day matters, she wishes that could be something the nobles could do.

Still, it seems Raizel and the others are content with just listening, aside from Tao giving his input every now and then.

“You’re not a student, unni?”

Saki jumps all of a sudden when one of the humans - Yuna she dully remembers - sits directly next to her with an innocent look on her face. The family leader holds back a choke and shakes her head, gulping down the cake slowly.

“Uh-” She glances towards Raizel, who merely sips his tea. “I’m not.”

What kind of story should she give? What kind of story did  _ they  _ give? As far as she’s concerned, the Noblesse is millenia older than her but he somehow passes the standard to be on the same level as Seira, age wise. Well, so did her Lord - she supposes beautiful people can pass for that kind of age even despite that.

For that matter, ‘unni’ was a term this culture used to address people older than them, specifically from a younger female to older. Saki sighs despondently. 

_ That means I look older than the Noblesse. _

“She’s a cousin from Japan!” Tao jumps in before Saki can respond with some kind of lie that would definitely make the children question things. “Rai-nim’s cousin, hahaha. She’ll be staying for a while, so don’t mind her.”

“Rai’s cousin?” Yuna muses. “True, you kinda look similar to him.” She’s tapping her chin in contemplation. “Though you seem… I don’t know.” Yuna drops her voice to a whisper, intent on letting Saki hear it, though the noble is sure that everyone in the room who isn’t a human can hear them anyway. “You know, Rai, Seira, and Regis - they give off the untouchable beauty vibes, but with unni, you’re an approachable beauty. Are you really cousins?”

Saki giggles through her bite of cake, suddenly feeling better about her age. “I get what you mean, they’re beautiful beyond words, aren’t they? You’ve met my Lord already, she fits into that category as well. You’re lumping Regis with them though? He may be pretty, but you all seem to talk with him just fine. I can’t say the same for grumpy Rael over there though.”

Yuna laughs. “That’s a good point. Right now, it’s easier to talk with all of them, though in the beginning it was a bit awkward. I’m glad I can get along with them, even if I’m like this.”

_ Oh, I see, she came to me seeking comfort. _ Saki nods seriously. She understands that feeling all too well. Even though nobles were known for their good looks, Saki’s entire demeanor downplays that, and she knows that she’s on Ludis’ level in terms of appearance. That is, she looks ‘cute’ rather than ‘elegant’. Both her and Ludis lamented this fact in Lukedonia together.

Well, she’s older than Ludis anyway, but that’s besides the point.

“Every flower’s beauty will be appreciated by a different person,” Saki says, placing a hand on Yuna’s shoulder. “Love is in the eye of the beholder.”

Yuna gives her a funny look before she bursts out in giggles. “Unni is a really interesting person.”

_ I can’t believe that actually worked _ , Saki snorts. She had only recited lines from famous romance novels - humans were really good at spinning their words. Yuna waves goodbye as she goes back to sit with Suyi.

Chewing on the edge of the spoon, Saki continues observing them with curious ears and eyes.  _ Well, even if I said that, my Lord surely is the most beautiful being in the world. But she will never put me in her eyes _ . Wistfully, she glances towards the other nobles in the household.  _ The Kertia and Landegre clan has always been closest to the Lord, but it seems her right-hand has more privilege than any of us. _

Her right-hand being here though really muddles her judgment. Why did Raskreia leave Razark here as well, along with Karias and Rael? She understands Seira and Regis - those two were ingrained into human society, and these human children would undoubtedly question their absence.

Saki sighs and gets up, intent on leaving the household to get fresh air.  _ Well, she always did work in mysterious ways. I guess I’ll just leave it at that. _

“Saki.”

The family leader yelps when her name is called by an familiar (yet unfamiliar) voice. She turns and bows to Frankenstein, who ignores her outburst and approaches her steadily.

“Your clan is the least I know about,” he starts. That’s a fair statement. Frankenstein also preceded her time, and her clan didn’t have a heavy presence in Lukedonia when he had been there. She notices he’s wearing a lab coat and glasses and suddenly has a bad feeling run down her spine. “Which is why I didn’t realize before, but.... well, does your clan specialize in seals?”

She hesitates. “Uhh, sorta. I mean, that’s more in the Lord’s realm of expertise, but combining our knowledge of medicine with the Lord’s powers, that was how I created the new ability with Kozuchi.”

“If you don’t mind, I’d like to study that power further.”

_ Why did that sound like a command than a request? _ She gulps nervously. Frankenstein still intimidates her, though she knows the Noblesse would never allow someone bad to serve under him. Still, she just can’t shake the uneasiness she feels around him, and she does feel guilty for that -- he’s tolerated her presence, even if it’s probably only due to Raizel’s command.

“Please,” he adds, and that’s when she knows he’s desperate. He actually seems like he might lower his head (which is unreasonable, he’s only ever kneeled to Raizel and bowed to Raskreia), but even with that low chance, Saki couldn’t risk someone seeing that sight.

She waves her hands around frantically. “Okay! Um, I don’t know how much help I’ll be, but I’ll do my best.”

He smiles and she’s surprised that it’s void of his usual snark. Following him down to his lab, he explains the reason why he’s seeking her help - of course, it is for the sake of the Noblesse. She definitely cannot back out after hearing the reason.

“Master exerted a large amount of his lifespan fighting Muzaka. Even if the Lord has given Ragnarok to him, I don’t think it will be enough.” Frankenstein sighs. “The seal I’ve made for him has weakened. If I can find a way to enhance it, his condition should get better.”

“Why are you sealing his power?” She asks curiously. “Wouldn’t that put him in danger?”

“Of course, Master can break it,” he replies. “But whenever he isn’t fighting, with the amount of power he is, it’s also draining his lifespan steadily. The seals of the previous Lord and I have created helps him to control it. As a result, it improves his condition, albeit not by a significant amount.” Frankenstein sighs, rubbing his forehead. “At this point, something is better than nothing. The seal the previous Lord made has already broken. The one made with my Dark Spear likely will face the same resistance.”

Saki nods along to each explanation. “I think my previous family leader would’ve helped more had she known… or been in Lukedonia, actually. I’ll do my best with what we have though!”

* * *

She exhales shakily, palms pressing fully against the claw-shaped wound on her chest. It won’t take much time to heal, but she has a feeling the werewolves in front of her wouldn’t give her the chance to do that.

_ I need to help Regis and M-21,  _ she thinks.  _ They’re not strong enough to face against those two werewolves.  _ She glances behind her.  _ But if I do that, then these humans… _

“Ahh, I knew it, it’d be no fun fighting a noble,” the werewolf complains. “All they care about is making sure the humans are safe.”

“You shouldn’t have gone for the humans then,” his companion retorts. “I was looking forward to a fight too.”

“Hey, noble, if these humans are getting in your way, I’ll help you get rid of them!”

Saki curses, kicking the ground and making the earth crack in an effort to delay their movements. In the nick of time she manages to push the humans out of attack range.

“Oh?” He laughs. “Could it be that Lukedonia and the Union are allies?”

“What kind of nonsense is that?”

“Those humans you’re trying so hard to defend are Union agents. I’m just doing you a favor.”

She sighs. “Are you stupid?” She can tell the insult has gotten to him.  _ Werewolves and their pride were always laughable. My wound is healing, I guess I should just go this route. _

“They’re not the leadership of the Union,” she continues, glancing around. If she tells them to run, the werewolf would go after them, but if she manages to make sure his focus is entirely on her, they’d have a chance. “If they aren’t hurting anyone, then my duty is to protect them. I can’t say the same for you though.” With that, she grins sardonically. “Werewolf-ssi, sorry I can’t protect you. I have to fight you instead.”

Not all Union agents were bad - she’s aware those three humans the Noblesse has taken in were former members of the Union too. If their positions were low, they perhaps had no choice. She didn’t know their details, of course, but as a noble, she couldn’t let these werewolves continue their carnage.

_ Six werewolves in this city _ , she breathes out.  _ Two are fighting with Rael and Regis. The other two are somewhere else. And I have two here… the werewolf Lord must be getting desperate after finding out Muzaka-nim is alive. _

“I changed my mind, Maksim. This one is mine.”

_ Ohhh, crap- _

She summons Kozuchi and braces herself for the attack, but she notices the trajectory of his lunge is different.

_ He’s still going for the humans! Dammit, okay, it’s fine, everything is fine- _

She summons a barrier at the intended moment of impact, wincing when the attack is stronger than expected.

The power draws back, but Saki suspects it’s not because of her. She watches the werewolf jump away and now she’s staring at the broad back of another.

Her body shudders. She’s only seen him when he’s been in the enraged state, but this is definitely…

“Muzaka-nim?” She asks carefully. He turns, arching an eyebrow.

“Ahh, a noble? You know me, huh?”

She lowers her upper body in a bow. “Uh, not personally.”

“Oh! You were at the school Raizel was at before.”

_ You mean when Frankenstein tricked you into shaking a soda? _ Saki bites her tongue to keep from repeating that incident aloud. “Yes, I-”

“Oh, I sense more members of my family in that other direction,” Muzaka interrupts. “I know you were fighting them, but I hope it’s alright that I take these two with me. I sense Raizel is over there too.”

_ The Noblesse? _ Saki exhales in relief. “I don’t mind at all.”  _ Take them and get as far away as possible. _

“You’re not coming? You’re staying with Raizel, right?”

“I need to bring these humans somewhere safe first,” she replies. Muzaka narrows his eyes as he glances at the humans in question. Then he sighs.

“I’ll go meet Raizel first. Alright, you two, let’s go meet the others.”

Though the two werewolves she’d been fighting looks displeased, their initial goal was to come kill Muzaka with the other four, so the situation would work better if they moved. Saki can guess their initial train of thought as they shoot a hostile look towards her, but evidently, they move out.

“Haaaaah-” Once she can sense their presences have gone, she collapses on her bottom. “I never want to fight again.” Saki glances over to the humans, some unconscious and some rendered speechless from what just happened. She raises a hand, trying to look less imposing. “So, uhh, if anyone wants me to treat their wounds, then I can go ahead and do that.”

They hesitate, but after a moment they accept her help. For the ones unconscious, she decides to do so anyway - there isn’t a real loss, and as a noble, it’s her duty anyway (though she’s also inclined to say she wants to help them regardless of noblesse oblige - they didn’t do anything wrong).

If they were on the Union’s side, there had to be a reason. Her qualm is with the Elders of the Union anyway, so there’s nothing wrong with helping them, right?

“Thank you,” they say, and she smiles at them.

_ Yeah, there’s nothing wrong with helping them. _

She’d eat those words a few days later, when the Third Elder once again sits at her table at the sweets cafe.

Saki does her best to ignore him. If he isn’t causing trouble, then she’s decided to give up on trying to chase him out. She didn’t want to sacrifice her sugar feast just because he decided to be annoying. Surprisingly though, he hasn’t said anything yet, merely gazed at her past his messy bangs. She guesses it’s a battle of wills so she will definitely not say anything first.

Ten minutes late, the server places the most expensive dessert item in front of her. She jumps.

“I didn’t order-”

“I did.”

She curses herself for speaking first before glaring at him. What, so he was going to rub the fact that he was richer in her face? For his information, she had money! But she’s saving it in order to spend it wisely.

“It’s for you,” he says. 

“What? Why?”

“For saving those agents from the werewolves,” he replies matter-of-factly. “You didn’t have to.”

“I didn’t do it for you,” she grumbles. “Eat your expensive cake.”

“I know you didn’t,” he hums. “It’s part of your noble duty, right? Still, given the situation, it wouldn’t put Lukedonia at an advantage if you helped the Union, even if they were low-ranking agents. I’m not going to touch the pudding, so if you wanna waste it, go ahead.”

_ What a schemer, _ she thinks, narrowing her eyes. But after a moment she relents, deciding it would indeed be a waste of pudding if he truly wasn’t going to do anything with it. Taking a small bite, she lets out a satisfied sigh, feeling it melt in her mouth perfectly.

_ No wonder it’s so expensive~ maybe I should start budgeting for this after all! _

She notices he hasn’t left. He looks deep in thought and almost regretful. Saki decides to use this opportunity to see if she can probe him for information.

“You know nobles aren’t on the wrong side of this battle,” she says. 

His gaze flickers to her.

“Not only me, but any other noble would’ve saved those humans too. Why does the Union want to continue waging war against Lukedonia?”

He chuckles. “Feeling talkative now that you’ve been rewarded, huh?”

She blinks once, and at the accusation, her cheeks turn bright red. “Watch your language!”

Despite his easygoing attitude, she can tell now he doesn’t have any intentions of answering truthfully. In fact, his eyes narrow slightly.

“In the end, a noble can’t really understand. What humans have gone through, our search for power to be put in equal standing as the werewolves and nobles.” 

“Why are you assuming that just because I’m a noble?” She scowls. “Doesn’t everyone have their own hardships? For that matter, is anything your Union is doing any better than what the werewolves or nobles have done? Half of the previous generation of family leaders decided to betray Lukedonia and flee tail to your organization.” She narrows her eyes. “If anything, you shouldn’t have allied with them if you hated us so much.”

That’s something she’s always been confused about. The Union undoubtedly has werewolves on their side too - truly, were they not people who had malicious intent, it really would have been the perfect ‘union’, something her clan has tried to achieve between the three races for centuries. However, the differences in priorities always proved that to be difficult. Although they’ve maintained truces and treaties, there would always be a few members of each race who were discontent with how things were.

Power drives the humans, for they always lament being weak. The nobles… she knows Zarga’s and Urokai’s reasons, but they’ve surrendered their initial goal. As for the other traitors, they were still in the wind. The werewolves were probably the most concerning. Despite being part of the Union, they went and slaughtered those agents and were on the hunt for Muzaka.

_ This is complicated _ , she thinks numbly, and she can feel her brain starting to hurt.

Surprisingly, she feels a finger lightly poke her cheek. She jumps out of her stupor, looking at the Third Elder with bewildered eyes.

“Did you just-”

“Such a contemplative expression doesn’t suit you,” he hums.

“Are you saying I’m dumb?!”

_ For that matter, he didn’t even answer my question!  _

“The Union… well, I don’t hate nobles.”

_ Okay, he’s answering the part I care the least about. _

“For the sake of the Union’s goal, I will do whatever is necessary,” he continues, ignoring her petulant glare. “The treaty was never going to last long anyway. The werewolves have their own agenda and the nobles are far too prideful to continue working with humans.”

“You’re wrong,” she retorts. “We’re grateful to work with the humans. But if you continue hurting others who have no part in this, then we will obviously take action.”

It’s a thinly veiled threat, and she wonders if she should clip her mouth for doing so when her primary intention was just to try and show him that Lukedonia  _ didn’t _ want to fight them. 

He chuckles. “That’s reassuring to hear.” His response is simple and before she can question him further, he stands. “I’ll see you soon, little mouse.”

She frowns, wondering why he chose that nickname specifically, before shoving another spoonful of pudding in her mouth. 

In any case, hopefully, not soon enough.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> opinions seem to diverge before they can converge.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i uh don't really know where i'm going with this story honestly LMAO i guess i wanted to add a little more character building to my oc and it just turned into word vomit
> 
> i wanted to develop the ship more too but it just??? idk it's so hard to write it happening this is why i always write things after it happens

A few days later, she’s messing with the ribbon on the box, cursing herself for being impulsive again.

“I’m only doing this because I hate owing favors,” she tells herself. He said he bought that expensive pudding because she helped the humans, but she wanted to make it clear she did it because she wanted to. It’s not anticipation that rises in herself, she assures, as she enters the sweets shop and scans the crowd. Sure enough, the Third Elder is nonchalantly stirring a milkshake, looking out the window and watching the bustling crowd.

She approaches him and he turns his head. She can’t see his expression so she wonders if he’s surprised - no, that’ll change today.

“Here,” she says, placing the wrapped box on the table. “Repayment for the pudding.”

His head tilts slightly. “That was for-”

“Repayment for the pudding,” she repeats stubbornly. 

He lets out a scoff, but it’s more lighthearted than condescending. “I suppose I will indulge you.” His fingers tug on the ribbon, unraveling the gift. “It’s…. Hair accessories?” A hairband and hair clips - the style is far too adorable to be really something to be given to him.

Saki nods, motioning to her forehead. “For your bangs. It’s a shame to hide your face when it looks so nice.” She pauses. “I didn’t say that aloud, did I?”

He’s definitely grinning even if he doesn't show it. “Hmm.”

Her face flushes and she turns on her heel. “Forget it. You can trash it if you want, I just wanted to make sure I didn’t owe-”

“How do I look?”

She immediately turns around. Finally, that messy mop of hair always in his face is pulled back - he really does have a nice face. Of course, no one could hold a candle to her Lord, but this Third Elder truly was not bad at all. Besides, he’s smiling and smiles always suited humans. She nods in approval, giving him a thumbs up.

“Okay!”

There’s a brief moment of silence before he speaks up.

“Say, I heard that they’re going to be releasing an exclusive special cake flavor this weekend.”

Her eyes glow immediately. “Special cake flavor?! Humans really never cease to amaze me with their surprises.”

“I’m guessing you’re going.”

“But of course!” She huffs, sticking her nose up. “I’m the family leader most well versed in human confections, I’d say.”

“Lukedonia seems to have a lot of free time, huh?”

Saki clams up immediately, red-faced. But then she recovers a second later, turning her chin up and looking at him with an accusatory look. “So does the Union!”

But when she says that, suddenly it feels wrong. That’s right, it’s been quiet on the Union’s front. They must be planning something, but she knows the Third Elder would never tell her.

The werewolves have been active, she knows that for sure.

“Is the Union having issues with the werewolves?” She asks suddenly.

He doesn’t answer but his expression doesn’t change at all. And now she feels like she’s the stupid one.

She huffs. “Okay fine, I know we’re supposed to be enemies and all, I’ll just investigate on my own.” Against her better judgment, she gives him a curt wave before disappearing into the crowd, contacting one of her clan members stationed in the city.

It looks like she’ll have to get serious too.

Well, she said that, but he has other plans.

The Third Elder is far,  **far** ,  _ far  _ from the likeness of a cat. He’s not prickly or pretending to not care or even wary (specifically of her). Saki would compare her Lord to a cat. Despite her aloof exterior, Erga Kenesis di Raskreia cares more than she lets on, and every time someone alludes to that fact Saki can just imagine the hackles of her Lord rising (if she were a cat).

Saki narrows her eyes. 

_ No, the Third Elder is more like an owl.  _

He does not have the wings (though like most modified humans, he can float).

He’s patient and careful.

And he’s merciless when choosing a target. Karias had been the unfortunate victim, disadvantaged in a two versus one… Saki expects that she may join the other family leader in an unfair fight like that soon. Very soon.

But she’d never expect it like this.

“Glaring won’t solve the problem, you know.”

“I wasn’t-!”

He also seems to have eyes in the back of his head, and owls don’t do that, but they can turn their heads in a full circle and that’s what she thinks is happening, because there’s no way he can see her face when he’s fully immersed in that cake.

Her cake.

He stole it.

The last special exclusive flavor that -- he had been the one to tell her about it last time!

(He had said that it was first come first serve, and at the buffet bar he had grabbed it first, but that was only because his arm was longer! She saw it first!)

_ A proper family leader would not quarrel with a human over cake _ , Razark’s voice echoes in her mind. Saki lifts a hand and shoos the stern image of her mentor out of her head.

_ Yeah, but if the human happens to be the Third Elder of the Union we’re fighting against, I don’t need to be polite.  _ She replies to the mental representation of the Kertia family leader, before huffing. For that matter, she needs to figure out why he’s made so many appearances recently. He’s ranked highly in the Union, below the Werewolf Lord - the implications would mean that he should be hiding away somewhere, having Union agents report to him instead.

_ Is this because of Urokai and Zarga? _ She sits down, resigning to the fact that the cake would be entirely eaten by him.  _ The Union should think they’re dead because they haven’t been able to leave Lukedonia, but… _

It might be because of the Noblesse, in the end. Ever since he awakened, everything that had seemingly been frozen in time suddenly set in motion, accelerating the time tables of the Union… and by association, the werewolves and Lukedonia.

A thud on the table breaks her from her internal monologue. She watches as the Third Elder turns to face, plate now empty of the cake she had desired, and servers bringing more sweets to the table -- her table, she bitterly notes -- that he invited himself too.

“Pudding?” He offers.

Saki’s gaze flickers to one of the spoons on the table.

_ If I stabbed him in the neck, would he dodge it? _

_ A spoon isn’t sharp, but I’m a noble, I could make it hurt. _

_ Oh, but he’s a modified human, he might not be that fragile. _

He shrugs and shifts the pudding glass closer to him. She grumbles something under her breath and makes to leave, not bothering to say goodbye.

* * *

Saki scrutinizes Karias from her peripheral vision. He’s eccentric like her, but somehow in a completely different way. Well, she supposes out of the two of them, she’s the one on thinner ice. Karias may have been flamboyant, obnoxious, and clingy but he’d never been considered a traitor before. He may have been an idiot, but he’s reliable and the Lord trusted him enough to guard Korea with Razark.

“Ah, the sweet, romantic smell of the city night on a rooftop…” He laments, pressing a hand to his forehead. “If only I could spend this night with a beautiful lady.”

“You tried to hit on Yonsu-ssi, who’s married,” Saki replies flatly. “This is your punishment, being stuck with me.”

“I was merely being polite,” he scoffs. He leans over, tapping the top of her head. “Small Saki, your attire will draw attention to yourself, you know.”

“No one can see us up here,” she retorts. “And there’s no way I’d betray the Lord by accepting that uniform.”

“I am not betraying noonim.” Karias poses, brushing his stray bang out of his face (but it falls back on his nose and she can’t help but wonder why he bothers). “I am paying my respects to Frankenstein and the Noblesse. Just like the modified humans who wear the uniform to work, I too must join the-”

He stops speaking. Saki arches a brow, knowing he definitely isn’t done with his jaunty defense, but his brows furrow and an uncharacteristically serious expression crosses his face.

“It’s the Union.”

“Huh?” She straightens, knowing Karias wouldn’t joke at a time like this. Great, she’d been so distracted by how dumb he was being that she didn’t sense it before him. “Two… three… there’s five.” A chill runs down her spine.  _ One of them… is the Third Elder. _

Karias summons Amore quietly, aiming. Saki grits her teeth, refraining from telling him he should wait until confirming they were causing trouble.

They were at war. The Union had no issues attacking first - Lukedonia needed to be on top of things too.

“Hah, this is simply deja vu,” Karias chortles. “Except I sense that the werewolf isn’t with him this time. Excellent, I can get my revenge for that day then.”

Saki summons Kozuchi, biting her bottom lip nervously. “I won’t be of much help unless they come closer.”

“Of course,” he assures. “I have every intention of ending things from this spot.”

Saki glances down. “You sure about that?”

Below them remains the bustling night city life of Korea.

“Right. I have every intention of ending things from a different spot.” He motions for Saki to follow as he continues firing off into the distance.

She wishes she could be exasperated. Unfortunately, she has to bite down a giggle as she hops from building to building, trying to determine who the other Union agents with the Third Elder were.

All of a sudden, there’s an exploding pain at her back and she collapses before she can help herself. Karias is at her side immediately, kneeling with a worried look.

“Saki!”

“I’m fine,” she hisses out. “Dammit, where did he attack from?”

“His method of fighting is tricky,” Karias agrees, quickly regaining himself as he prepares another arrow. 

Finally, she can spot them in the distance. She hastily rises to her feet, refusing to let him see the effect of his attack.

“Saki,” the Third Elder speaks out, voice laced with shock. He’s taken off the hairclips from the other day so she can’t see his eyes, but she’s sure he’d be gloating right now. She’d been stupid to think that they were questionable acquaintances just because they both liked sweets.

“Third Elder,” she responds evenly. She twirls her hammer in her hand but then Karias places a hand on her shoulder.

“Saki, let me fight him. You take care of the other ones.” 

She huffs. “Fine, you can get your rematch.”

“Wait, I didn’t come here to fight-”

Karias summons an arrow and fires, leaving no room for the other to speak. Saki shifts her gaze to the four Union agents he brought with him, but then she remembers their faces.

“You’re…”

“Noble family leader!” They run up to her --  _ she can’t believe she lets them _ \-- and why do they look excited to see her? “Do you remember us?”

Of course she does. They’re the humans she saved from the werewolves just the other day, but why were they here and why were they not fighting her?

“We were just gathering intel when we were suddenly attacked,” one of them huffs. “It’s fortunate that you were here though, noble family leader! We never got to thank you properly for saving us!”

She wishes she could say something useful.  _ I didn’t do it for you personally, you just happened to be there. No, you’re humans and I’m a noble, I’m obligated to save you. I wanted to fight the werewolves, you just happened to be there so I could save you. _

If she channels any of the other family leaders, she could say those things. But she doesn’t.

Oddly enough, it makes it sound like Karias is the bad guy here, attacking first. But if he hadn’t attacked first, the Third Elder might’ve done so.

“.... noble family leader?”

Saki lets out a laugh. This whole situation was just messed up, wasn’t it? “You’re welcome.” Still, she’s not suited for combat, and if she fought these Union agents it’d just be one-sided bullying because she can tell they’re lower tiers of modified humans. They’re still impressionable, it’s a wonder they haven’t been brainwashed to hate the nobles.

“Can we call you Saki-ssi?” The third one speaks up suddenly, feeling emboldened.

She tilts her head. “How did you learn my name?”

“Uh, we know the names of all the family leaders!” The second one explains, to which the other three tackle and cover his mouth immediately.

The family leader sighs. “Well, I guess that’s not surprising. We had traitors in the Union.”

_ Saki _ .

“Huh?”

Ah, that was Karias sending her a telepathic message.

_ Take cover, I’m going to summon a lightning storm. _

_ Oh okay -- wait. _

He raises his bow, covered in wounds from the Third Elder’s attacks.

_ Are you kidding me? _

The Third Elder doesn’t look any better, blood running down his arm from an open gash on his shoulder.

_ Karias, these humans aren’t- _

The Blerster family leader has already fired to the sky and gray clouds swarm the area, the loud rumbling of thunder focusing where he had shot it. Saki pales and lifts Kozuchi, preparing a barrier.

_ YOU’RE AN IDIOT?!?!??!?!?! _

* * *

When she regains consciousness, she hears someone yelling. She wishes that were her, she hasn’t felt this irritated in centuries, at least not to the extent where she wants to go up to someone’s face and yell at them.

“ -- What would you have done if Saki-nim hadn’t been there?!”

Saki feels touched that Regis is scolding Karias on her behalf. She groans, sitting up and gaining the attention of those in the room. She sees Karias’ lips jut out in a guilty pout as Regis continues berating him. 

“How are you feeling?” Razark asks.

“Like I got hit by lightning,” she grumbles.

He lightly flicks her forehead. “That’s a given. You were supposed to hide behind Karias if you wanted to avoid the shocks.”

“And have some barbecued humans on the roof? Doesn’t sound tasty.”

He flicks her forehead, harsher this time. “Clearly you’re fine if you can be this snippy.”

“Sorry. I’d rather be snippy with Karias, but he looks like a kicked puppy with Regis yelling at him.”

“I’m sorry, Saki!” Karias implores, crawling over to her bedside and putting his hands up in a begging position. “Please please pleaseeeee don’t tell noonim!”

“It’s the Lord to you,” Saki and Razark intone simultaneously. Karias mumbles something under his breath and Razark narrows his eyes, causing Karias to straighten his spine. Saki decides to save Karias from another beration.

“What happened to the Third Elder and the agents?”

“They escaped,” Karias replies, glad to have diverted the topic somehow. “I’ll get them next time th-”

“Stop picking unnecessary fights,” she interrupts. “They may have been modified humans, but they weren’t doing anything bad.”

He pouts and she thinks it really doesn’t suit him. “But they’re enemies. They might’ve attacked first.”

He has a point, but it still doesn’t settle well with her gut. She glances at Razark. “Would you have attacked them?”

He opens his mouth. Saki holds a hand up.

“Wait, don’t answer that, I feel like I’m going to get scolded this time.”

Razark arches a brow and closes his mouth. Saki scoots to the edge of the bed and stands up, stretching her arms out and wincing at the spark of electricity emitting from her lower back. Karias looks guilty and he asks if she’s okay again.

“I shouldn’t be healing this slow even if I’m a noble,” she retorts. “How much lightning did you summon?”

“... Enough that it’s currently raining in the city.”

“I have half a mind to report to the Lord about this.”

Karias incites another plea and Saki giggles, waving him off and saying he could repay her by buying her some cake later. The family leader walks up to one of the vast windows of the household, gazing out at the outpour of rain. In the reflection, she sees Razark, though she knows he had followed her from outside the room, and she pouts. 

“Guess I can’t escape a lecture, in the end,” she sighs.

He tilts his head. “It’s less of a lecture than it is advice.”

She pauses. “Advice from you always sounds like a lecture. Why can’t you be nicer to me?”

He clears his throat, seeming to avoid the question. “I know the Lord left you here for a reason. Your resources are indispensable.”

If they could call it that, sure. The only new information that Saki’s been able to find out from her clan members in this city is that the Union has started to lay low again. They already knew werewolf activity had risen thanks to Muzaka’s awakening, and even the truce with Crombel has now put the city in a weird sense of security.

This peace wouldn’t last - the nobles knew that for certain.

“Still, although your main purpose is for information gathering, you should still have a stronger will in this fight. If you falter, then you will be struck down. Our enemies look down on you because you are the weakest…”

Saki sighs again, deciding to take the admonishing in stride.

“... But you are not as weak as they think you are.”

Oh. That’s surprising. Saki glances up at him.

“You merely lack the will to fight.”

She looks away, moving a hand up and down her arm. “I mean… is there anything wrong with that? Fighting was never my clan’s role.”

Razark frowns. “It is time you stop using that excuse, Saki Akanishi.”

She groans internally, knowing that the usage of her full name means he’s far from done. In spite of her exasperation though, fear curls in her stomach. She knows he’s never liked her, but did it have to mean that he had to be so mean? She was trying her best, wasn’t that enough?

“The Kertia Clan has never left Lukedonia until recently,” he continues. “People’s roles can change. Even the Lord has mobilized more often than the previous Lord has in the millennium he spent ruling. The noble’s role of passivity has met its end. That means now, more than ever, you should be stepping past the boundaries and chains placed on you by the previous clan leader.”

Her brows crease slightly into a frown. “Are you saying that because of Kartas and Grandia? Do you think we’re the same? Just because you can do it doesn’t mean I can.”

Razark reaches out immediately, gripping her cheek and pulling it. She yelps, tears springing in her eyes as the familiar (yet still painful) gesture is performed.

“What have I spent the past decades training you for?” He states flatly, the question being more rhetorical than anything.

“You and Rael are still strong even with split soul weapons,” she retorts. “I’m fully awakened and I'm one of the oldest, but Seira who’s not even reached her second century can kick my butt in a fight. Hard work doesn’t always get you somewhere, Razark! Sometimes people are just born with talent, sometimes you’re just born a prodigy, and sometimes you get the short end of the stick and even despite all your hard work, no one will believe in you until some outsider comes in and sticks up for you!”

He releases her cheek immediately at her outburst. Her minimal tears had exploded, the emotions changing from exasperation to bitterness and anger. She takes a step back, shame splashing across her flames of resentment.

“...” She dodges his gaze, noticing that somewhere in the midst of their (one-sided) argument, they’d gained an audience. “I’m going on a walk.” She adds some kick to her stroll to the door, trying her best to avoid meeting anyone’s eyes.

“It’s raining,” Karias reminds her, looking equally guilty as the eavesdroppers.

“Saki,” Seira says quietly. 

“It’ll be fine. Nobles can’t get sick,” Saki replies curtly, harshly biting her bottom lip as she speedily walks out the door (though, unsurprisingly, takes care to close it carefully, because she’s certain if she slammed it, it’d break).

The rain is cold against her skin, but that’s no issue for a noble. They had the abilities to self-regulate their temperatures. Honestly, maybe they’d be closer to reptiles than mammals… not that she knew much about the biology of Earth’s species, at least.

Nonetheless, with a shudder (more out of trepidation than the frigidity of the weather), she squats on the roof of a building a few blocks away, curling her arms around her knees and hugging them closer to her chest.

It’s her fault, she knows. She shouldn’t have lashed out like that, she should’ve just taken his lecture in like she usually did, she should’ve just pretended to listen and everything would’ve been fine. Now her ‘hard work’ really might’ve gone to waste in just five minutes.

Ironic. She’d spent five hundred years trying to get the other family leaders to trust her, to prove she wasn’t like the traitors that had forsaken Lukedonia. Her clan had been outside of Lukedonia when the betrayal had happened, but it didn’t mean she was in cohorts with the traitors. No one saw that though, and even Claudia - the daughter of an actual traitor, distanced herself from Saki, choosing to live in seclusion after the Tradio clan had been doused with the ice of suspicion.

Saki knew better than to doubt Claudia too. Maybe they could’ve gotten along. For her own selfishness though, Saki had never sought Claudia out for fear that it would further ingrain the idea that the Akanishi Clan were also traitors.

Raskreia had never really trusted her. Although she allowed Saki to stay in Lukedonia, she knew she had always been kept under careful watch. Razark had been assigned to be her ‘mentor’, but everyone knew it was just an act to ensure Saki didn’t do anything reckless. Razark always treated her coldly. He didn’t hide his suspicion and made it clear that if she stepped out of line, he’d eliminate her immediately. Kei Ru she scarcely saw, for he had always been training, but he shared the Lord’s sentiments (he always glared at her). Rozaria was a little more pleasant, but she knew behind the red-haired woman’s smiles was a wariness that would never be absolved.

The others just didn’t care about her position. They wouldn’t befriend her but they wouldn’t berate her either. She simply existed as she was.

She never stepped out of line. The perfectly passive, timid mouse could hardly be a threat.

Sure, she may have been a little eccentric; she openly boasted her admiration for the Lord, even if the warm feelings were not mutual, and she whined and complained about how she was weak and would never get strong.

Was it because she was weak though?

Maybe, she would never get strong because she truly did not want to. If she got stronger, then everyone would see her more as a threat, and they’d trust her even less.

_ But everyone has changed, _ a little voice reminds herself,  _ and you’re the only one who hasn’t. _

Oh, wait, scratch that - it wasn’t a little voice in her head.

“Saki Akanishi, you are the only one stuck in a past that everyone has forgiven.”

Oh shit, Cadis Etrama di Raizel followed her outside in the rain. If Frankenstein needed another excuse to hate her, this was it. She immediately uncurls her body and stands at attention, turning to indeed see Raizel getting thoroughly soaked by the rain.

“Noblesse-nim, you’re gonna-”

But she stops herself. She was the one who said nobles can’t get sick, so there’s no reason she should be worried. Still, there’s just something that makes her feel guilty, especially since he probably felt obligated to look after her as the Noblesse. 

“You should go back inside,” she finally corrects herself. “I’m fine, really.”

“Did you hear what I said earlier?” He asks to affirm.

Well, she had, but she didn’t really want to acknowledge that.

Instead of moving inside, he takes steps towards her. The crimson gaze of the most powerful being has her frozen in place, and Saki places her feelings as a mix of fear and respect.

His hand rises to gently rub at the top of her head. “Of course, it is alright if you have trouble moving past history. I know Raskreia herself is still working on forgiving me, even if she knows the truth.”

Saki hesitates. “You said that everyone has forgiven the past. But you were the one who wanted to send Urokai and Zarga to eternal sleep.”

Raizel pauses his actions. “That is true.” Face remaining perpetually stoic, he lets out a soft sigh. “And you were the one who stopped me.”

Well, she had risked her life to do so, but yeah.

“I believe those are two different sentiments,” he explains. “We can forgive the past, but people must still face the consequences.”

He sounds more cryptic than usual. Saki isn’t sure how this should be comforting her. Wasn’t he just saying that even if the family leaders have forgiven her shady history, that she was still being treated like an outsider because of said family history?

“Razark was correct in identifying that the main source of your weakness lies in your unwillingness to change,” Raizel continues.

Great, rubbing more salt on the wound.

“It’s not like I’m dead set on not wanting to change,” she mutters. “I’m just scared to change. You don’t even know if everyone has really forgiven me.”

“I do not,” he agrees. “But that is because there is nothing to forgive you for. You have not forsaken your duty.”

She lets out a bitter laugh. “Why does it feel like that’s the only thing I’ve done since I was born?” Saki lifts an arm, rubbing her eyes clear of tears and rain. “It’s okay, Noblesse-nim, I appreciate you coming out here to give me some wisdom, but I think I’m good now. You should really get inside before Frankenstein gets mad at me.”

“Will you come inside with me?”

“Is that an order?”

“A request.”

“Then I will have to respectfully decline.” She lowers her upper body into a torso. “I’m not ready.”

He sighs and then lowers his arm. “I will acknowledge your decision then. However, Saki…” He trails off, thinking of the right way to phrase his next words. “Change will only happen if you are the one to facilitate it.”

“...”

“If you hate the family leaders for not believing in you, then you must first realize that if you do not believe in yourself, then they will not believe in you.”

Raizel turns and sets to move out.

“Do you believe in me?”

Saki blurts it out without thinking and then slaps her hand over her mouth. Raizel angles his head so that she can see a glimpse of his crimson hues.

There’s amusement dancing in his eyes.

“I will if you do.”

Her shoulders sag then.

_ Why are the serious ones always so vague and confusing? _

That isn’t the answer she wanted to hear, but was it the one she had been seeking? It seems like Raizel wants her to do a bit of self-discovery.

… Not like she’s fond of that method. 

Saki summons Kozuchi, twirling the golden hammer around in her hands. 

“Hey, Kozuchi, what do you think we should do now?” She asks slowly, knowing that she wouldn’t receive an answer. Her soul weapon rarely talked to her - the last time was when Frankenstein was collaborating with her to create the seals.

Could she use Kozuchi beyond their current abilities? Her clan had always specialized in medicine, illusions, diplomacy - although it was possible to use the hammer as it was, physically, it wouldn’t be as impactful as, say, the force of Garant. Could she get it to that level? Kei Ru trained his entire lifespan - she doubts it.

Magic, spells, and curses were out of the question. That ability had always been limited to the Elenor and Tradio clans.

Kozuchi can’t cut anything.

Kozuchi is useless.

When that thought crosses her mind, the soul weapon in her hands heats up immediately, burning her hands. Saki yelps and lets go, letting Kozuchi drop to the ground. She lowers her eyes, watching the ground sink under the impact, and immediately she feels regret washing over her body.

“Sorry,” she mutters, kneeling in front of her soul weapon. “I shouldn’t have said that. Forgive me?” She lets a minute pass before reaching out, fingers brushing against the handle. When Kozuchi doesn’t burn her again, she grips them and lets her soul weapon dissipate in her hands.

"I guess I should figure out what we should do next, huh?"

As always, there's no response. But she thinks she's fine with that. With nothing but the rain pouring down on her, the solitude might better for her right now.

**Author's Note:**

> but uh if you wanna discuss noblesse/nobles stuff with me i'm always down B)
> 
> if this really makes no sense i may go back and revise/add stuff but for now all i can give is this brain mush


End file.
